Benefits of Massage Therapy

Massage Therapy

Oct 29

~6 minute read

Author: Nikki Stock, MS, LMT, CSCS

Why should you get a massage?

I received my first massage about 7 years ago. I was hesitant and skeptical of the return on investment (I was a broke science graduate student at the time). Currently, I am a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) and strength Coach working with clients on pain resolution, movement optimization, and athletic performance enhancement. So, you could say I found it beneficial.

Some people are understandably apprehensive about starting a massage or bodywork regimen. Many people doubt the effectiveness of bodywork on their ailments. But once you find a professional with the skills you need to help you with your treatment goals, it’s a game changer.

Many are convinced that their aches and pains, movement problems, chronic stress, anxiety, or depression are something they have to live with. Irresponsible and ignorant medical professionals are part of the cause, as are the societal ideologies that perpetuate the idea that bodies hurt, and that’s just the process of life. When our bodies are capable of living for over 100 years, why do people start chronically hurting in their twenties? Anyway…

The power of Massage & Bodywork has been used in various cultures for over 5,000 years (2), with diverse methods and intents. The widespread use of bodywork across cultures is why we have so many different styles of massage available today (Swedish, Acupressure, Deep Tissue, Shiatsu, Thai, Lomi Lomi, and more). Such an old profession has had much time to be improved generation after generation.

I have worked with many clients who came to me for pain and stress relief, but with limited hope or the belief that all we could do is provide an hour or so of relaxation amidst the chronic pain, stress, and frustration with their current state. A combination of incomplete diagnoses, passage of time, and lack of knowledge convinced them they were out of luck.

I have worked with clients who have had their pains misdiagnosed and resolved said pain within a few sessions. A good Massage Therapist will have insight in the body that other professionals don’t learn - making it extremely important for more integration in all health and wellness fields!

I have clients who have severe trauma or emotional pains who present with severe tension and trigger points and after strategic massage therapy, not only feel less tension but even feel emotional release during and after the session.

I’ve seen athletes go from not being able to apply any force into my pressure to me straining to perform the muscle test because they’ve improved its capacity just with bodywork in the matter of minutes.

Massage Therapy and Bodywork techniques are a non-invasive way to heal the body and mind, in many ways.

This list from The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) shows just how beneficial Massage Therapy is on a multitude of ailments as well as providing preventative or recovery advantages. For part 1 of this blog, I’m going present 4 common complaints that can be treated with Massage Therapy and Bodywork.

Low Back Pain

So many of my clients come in with either a primary complaint of low back pain, or as an afterthought to the main reason they’re there. Low back pain is so pervasive it’s actually the second most common neurological ailment in the United States (National Institute of Health).

There is ample research showing the benefits of Massage Therapy on not just the back pain itself, but the mobility and restrictions that come with it. Not to mention the mental effects of chronic pain. Most of my clients even forget to mention their low back pain to me until halfway through the session because they’ve been convinced it’s just a pet pain they’ll have that can’t be resolved. Truth be told, with a combination of massage therapy and proper exercises or movement correction, many people can reduce or eliminate their low back pain, which I have helped clients do countless times.

In my practice, I focus on identifying muscles that are locked long or locked short (both present as tight), potentially overworked, out of balance left to right or front to back, or underdeveloped. For low back pain, it’s incredibly common for the hip flexors to be tight, as well as the hamstrings, glutes, and even the abs. Back pain is actually a complex occurrence, with many muscles contributing. Massage Therapy is a crucial part of how I help my clients, even the ones who originally came in for strength & fitness training. Palpating muscles to determine tightness and size helps me create a treatment plan. It is a very worthwhile service to invest in with a skilled professional.

Tension Headaches

Tension headaches are an agonizing detriment to daily life for people, but luckily one can typically lessen or eliminate tension headaches with proper bodywork, breathing, and nutrition. Tension headaches are so-named because they’re caused by muscle tension. Which means they can be influenced by work on the muscles that are overly tight. There are Trigger Point maps that can even hint at which muscles to start with based on where your pain is on your head. For example, pain behind the eye is associated with tightness in the occipital muscles, the muscles that attach to the ridge on the back of your skull, just above where your spine attaches. You can scrub or rub this area and the pain can either be lessened or resolved. Then you want to work on preventing those muscles from getting that tight again…that’s another blog. Another very common Trigger Point pattern is tension in the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) referring pain to the temple, above the eye, behind the ear, and sometimes the top of the head. This muscle is commonly overlooked by practitioners and my clients don’t love me working on it - but they do love the results.

I also coach my clients on breathwork if it appears that they have dysfunctional breathing patterns that can contribute to the muscle tension. The aforementioned SCM muscle can get very tight, overdeveloped, and overworked for chest-breathers, because they use the SCM to yank the ribcage up for an inhale, instead of using and developing a better diaphragm muscle for a more deep, well-rounded and stress-free breath.

Nutrition comes into play for electrolyte balance specifically, which is out of the scope of this blog but comes down to proper hydration with electrolytes instead of water devoid of any minerals.

Anxiety

A client came in, very talkative, friendly, descriptive, and bubbly. Sounds positive, but within a few minutes of her being on the table, I knew that it was her expression of anxiety. I see this frequently, and it changes how I approach the session. I still focus on their goals (most commonly, working on the tension in their neck and shoulders, where they say they “hold all their stress.” (If I had a nickel…). But people who suffer from anxiety often have a hard time relaxing during a massage. They’re supposed to be present, calm, and enjoying the moment, but their mind buzzes. Massage can help reduce anxiety by teaching people to be present, and focused on their internal environment instead of what they think they need to worry about in the external environment. To facilitate this, I make sure my techniques are slower, and tend to use a lot more Trigger Point or NMT methods, which involve holding pressure on target areas, allowing the client to focus on releasing one area at a time. I can help immensely with people who have a hard time calming their mind. Instead of moving quickly and working broad areas, which can be overstimulating to the overstimulated, slow, methodical pressure can be a game changer. Anxiety, like depression, is a function for our bodies but can run amok when improperly processed.

Massage Therapy and Bodywork is a fantastic method to start the healing process when it comes to mental health dysfunctions that have people unable to completely unwind, recover, and move forward comfortably. Breathwork and nutrition also play a huge role in this health issue, but I love that Massage Therapy can be the catalyst and motivator for those factors, because it gives anxiety sufferers a moment of peace to serve as a jumping off point for bigger changes. It is incredibly powerful to invest in yourself in this way.

Depression

We know that there are a lot of natural ways to battle depression and help resolve the issues causing it - but many of them are active, which can be extremely challenging for people really struggling with it. When the act of getting out of bed is hard, imagine how difficult working out for even 30 minutes can be. Too daunting for some. Massage therapy is a great way to start building the self-care foundations that can snowball into even more positive outcomes for depression. Make the appointment, go to the appointment, relax. Copious research has been performed showing the positive effect Massage Therapy has on depression symptoms, in various contexts (chronic pain sufferers, stressed mothers, hospice patients, people with cancer, and those with low back pain and headaches…*coincidence?*)